Friends In Low Places

We just returned from The Garth Brook, as our foreign hotel concierge called it.

And.....

I must say.......

I liked it. It pains me to admit it, but "the truth will out."

I actually had no idea what to expect, since I've never attended a REAL concert before. The kind where everyone remains seated and nobody screams don't count as real concerts.

For those who care, here's the scoop:

First of all, thanks to our host, we had terrific seats! The concert began around 7:40 with Trisha Yearwood (GB's wife) performing a couple of her old songs. She has an excellent, strong voice, but is unimpressive as an entertainer. She finished by about 8:00. We then waited while the stage was re-configured for Mr. Brooks, which took about 20 minutes, after which we waited and waited and waited some more. For nearly an hour, we received no communication about the delay...so I decided that Garth must've dropped dead of a heart attack or something and the powers-that-be were trying to decide how to inform the crowd without inducing mass hysteria.

In the meantime, the crowd inside the Sprint Center grew restless and performed round after round of.........the WAVE! Yep. The wave.

Finally, just before 9pm, Garth made his grand entrance. Not too grand or flashy, but fun, as he sprang onto the stage from underneath. We stood for the next 2 1/2 hours singing along with all the old Garth favorites...yes, I said "we." You see, I married a country music fan and thereby inherited a couple of Garth's Greatest Hits CD's...and I used to listen to them quite often. I might have even enjoyed them. Maybe.

Unlike his wife, Mr. Brooks is the consummate performer/entertainer. It was obvious that he was in his element and enjoying every minute as the recipient of our attention and adulation. The little hair he has left is completely white, but his energy and stamina were equal to a much younger man's.

So, even though I would never have pursued tickets for Garth Brooks on my own, and really did go because it was DK's birthday, I actually enjoyed the concert a great deal! Of course, the rest of the trip, hanging with our friends, wasn't half bad either. It pays to have friends in low places.